Last Friday, a group of teachers who lead Roots & Shoots and environmental programs at their schools attended a workshop to discuss the launch of JGIS and Roots & Shoots’ new campaign to end palm oil pollution. In an international collaboration with Roots & Shoots groups in countries including New Zealand, Australia, Chile and others, this year students will work to educate their peers and communities about the ecological, wildlife and social costs of palm oil, along with other environmental and social projects.
The teacher training workshop was well attended by many extraordinary teachers who spoke of their students’ strong record of engagement and excitement about future plans for their students, and was run by longstanding volunteers Quek Xiao Tong and Tan Beng Chiak, with assistance from Roots & Shoots volunteers with teaching backgrounds. Xiao Tong spoke about the Roots & Shoots steering meetings she attended at Windsor Castle last year, with representatives from R&S groups all over the world, where the decision was made that Singapore would be one of the countries to lead the campaign against palm oil pollution.
The teacher training focused on providing teachers with a background on the palm oil issue, the difficulty of avoiding palm oil while shopping, investigating alternatives, and brainstorming ways to encourage student leaders to come up with and implement projects and solutions for their schools and communities.
A big thank you to all of the passionate teachers and volunteers involved in opening a door to a brighter and more hopeful future for the next generation! If you are interested in finding out more, or starting a Roots & Shoots branch in your school, or know a student who might be interested in pursuing an independent project, please contact us at jgirnss@gmail.com.
